Committee to hold public meetings on spending $10 million grant

Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced in August that the City of Hudson will receive $10 million in funding and investments as the Capital Region winner of the second round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. As in the first round of the DRI, one municipality from each of the state’s 10 regional economic development regions will be selected as a $10 million winner, marking another overall state goal to target $100 million in funding and investments to help communities identify downtown projects to boost the local economy. Accepting the award are Hudson Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton and Assemblywoman Didi Barrett.

Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Hudson Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton speaks during the governor’s announcement that Hudson’s downtown would be awarded $10 million for economic development efforts.

Amanda Purcell
Columbia-Greene Media

October 16, 2017 11:30 pm

HUDSON — The public will have the opportunity to comment on the allocation of a $10 million downtown revitalization grant at two upcoming meetings.

The first meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Local Planning Committee is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday. The second meeting will be held on Oct. 26.

The meetings will be held at the John L. Edwards Elementary School’s cafeteria, 360 State St.

Downtown Hudson was selected as the winner of the state’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative in the Capital Region in an announcement by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Aug. 1.

“Revitalizing a downtown not only boosts businesses and the local economy, but also benefits the residents who call them home and with this funding, the City of Hudson will have the opportunity to reach its full potential,” Cuomo said in a statement in August. The meeting will be led by the group’s co-chairs, Matthew Nelson and Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton. They will be assisted by planning consultant Stantec, and representatives from “various state agencies who have been assembled to work with Hudson on this initiative,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

The first meeting will serve as an introduction for the committee, where members will review the DRI application, the process, roles and responsibilities, and scheduling.

While the committee meetings are considered workshops, there will be an opportunity for the public to comment at the end of the first meeting.

The second meeting on Oct. 26, is considered a community meeting, when the committee plans to “fully engage with the public regarding process and projects,” according to a statement from the mayor.

The money will be used to revitalize Hudson’s downtown neighborhoods and generate new opportunities for long-term growth. With the award of the $10 million grant, Hudson joins Glens Falls, which was the Capital Region’s winner in the first DRI round.

Earlier this month, a 23-person committee was selected to spend six months building on the projects outlined in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative application and developing a Strategic Investment Plan with $300,000 in planning funds from the $10 million grant.

Some projects noted in the city’s plan include: Way-finding signage for destinations and parking, installing high-power charging stations for electric cars, expanding public transportation with the introduction of a short solar bus, and the improvement of bike lane connections, redeveloping the Dunn Warehouse for year-round public and private use and redeveloping and remediating the Furgary Fishing Village.

A copy of the city’s DRI application can be viewed here: www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/DRIHudsonApplication.pdf.

To reach reporter Amanda Purcell, call 518-828-1616 ext. 2500, or send an email to apurcell@thedailymail.net, or tweet to @amandajpurcell.